보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Building a Society Where Everyone is Guaranteed

a Dignified Closure of Life

- The MOHW announced the 2nd Comprehensive Plan

for Hospice and Life Sustaining Treatment (2024-2028) -

- Aim to expand user choice, strengthen the foundation for institutional implementation,

and enhance awareness and dissemination -

On April 2 (Tuesday), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Cho, KyooHong) announced that the National Hospice and Life Sustaining Treatment Committee (Chair: 2nd Vice Minister Park, Minsoo) reviewed and adopted the 2nd Comprehensive Plan(Proposal) for Hospice and Life Sustaining Treatment (2024-2028).

The Comprehensive Plan for Hospice and Life Sustaining Treatment (“Comprehensive Plan”) is established every five years to consolidate the institutional framework for hospice, palliative care, the decision to terminate life-sustaining treatment, etc. pursuant to Article 7 of the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment for Patients at the End of Life.

The 2nd Comprehensive Plan builds on the institutional groundwork laid under the 1st Comprehensive Plan, including increased services and infrastructure, to improve the public’s access to the relevant services by addressing infrastructure shortage on a continued basis, while improving the institutional framework and covering blind spots to widen options available to Koreans regarding their end of life.

With the vision of building “a society that guarantees dignified clousre of life for all,” the ministry set the goal of expanding user choice, strengthening the foundation for institutional implementation, and enhancing awareness and dissemination.

To this end, the strategy includes expanding the scope of hospice service recipients, adjusting the range of life-sustaining treatment decisions, and increasing both hospice providers and institutions implementing the life-sustaining treatment decision system. This ensures the protection of user choice. Additionally, the plan involves enhancing the capacity of organizations and personnel, as well as bolstering on-the-ground compensation and support, to strengthen the foundation for institutional implementation. The ministry also plans to take measures to improve and raise public awareness and enhance local community cooperation and governance.///